Welcome to another edition of Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers. This series helps fantasy managers with lineup and waiver wire decisions by examining recent player performances from a fantasy perspective.
In this week’s edition of Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers, we highlight a couple of players in Texas who could give some juice to our fantasy lineups, as well as a pitcher who’s been flying under the radar. On the flip side, we examine some lineup staples who have been struggling for the season — and what we should do about them. With that, let’s go ahead and take a look at some Week 12 fantasy baseball risers and fallers.
Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers
Week 12 stats from 6/9-6/15
Risers
Evan Carter (OF — TEX)
Evan Carter is fresh off a fantastic week. He collected eight hits across 18 at-bats, including two doubles, two homers, and three multi-hit efforts. Carter also swiped two bags on three attempts and flashed some nice plate skills by not striking out and walking at an 18.2% clip.
Carter has been rolling since coming off the IL at the start of the month. He has a .387/.457/.774 slash line with three home runs and two steals in his last 35 plate appearances with a 244 wRC+. He also posted an 11.4% walk and strikeout rate in that span. Carter is a contact hitter with a nice blend of pop and speed who bats in the middle of the order. While he sits against lefties, he’s still a productive bat worth scooping up in 12+ team leagues while he’s hitting.
Josh Smith (1B/3B/SS — TEX)
Sticking with the Rangers, Josh Smith also had himself a nice week. He was 11-for-26 at the plate, including three extra-base hits and two home runs. Smith also walked more than he struck out, with a 13.3% walk rate and 6.7% strikeout rate for the week.
Smith had a down May but has turned things around in June. He’s reached base safely in 11-of-12 starts this month while sporting a 1.091 OPS with three home runs and a couple of steals. Similar to Evan Carter, Smith sits against southpaws. But he leads off and brings some power and speed to the fantasy table to go with a plus plate approach (think 15/15/.270). That’s not flashy, but it plays in both 12- and 15-team leagues.
Ryan McMahon (3B — COL)
If you’re looking for power, Ryan McMahon has you covered. He swatted four dingers in his last eight games while flexing a .519 ISO. McMahon also hit the ball with authority, posting a 23.5% barrel and 76.5% hard-hit rate.
McMahon scuffled to start the season, but he’s gotten back on track of late. Since the beginning of May, McMahon is slashing .275/.379/.522 with eight home runs, 21 runs scored, 19 RBI, and one stolen base across 161 plate appearances. Most impressive during this stretch is his 24.8% K-rate, as McMahon’s strikeout rate tends to hover around the 30% mark. Plus, it also pairs well with a healthy 14.3% walk rate. It’s well worth picking up McMahon in shallow leagues while he’s swinging a hot bat. He wallops the ball, hits cleanup, and plays half his games in Coors Field. And if McMahon’s plate gains stick, he could be an asset in batting average.
Quinn Priester (SP — MIL)
Quinn Priester has been rolling lately. He snagged two wins last week while allowing a combined two earned runs with a 10:0 K:BB across 12 frames.
Priester has been sneaky-good over his last five appearances. He surrendered more than one earned run only once in those outings while sporting a 1.86 ERA (2.87 SIERA) and 0.93 WHIP across 29 innings. He also picked up four wins and four quality starts in that stretch with a 21:4 K:BB. Priester doesn’t bring the Ks. But he also doesn’t walk, and he curbs earned runs by inducing groundballs at a near 60% clip. That plays in all formats, especially with the mounting pitcher injuries.
Fallers
Bryan Reynolds (OF — PIT)
It was another slow week for Bryan Reynolds, as the veteran was 3-for-27 at the plate. And while two of his hits went for extra bases, that was likely cold comfort for fantasy managers. The down week is a continuation of an underwhelming season that has been particularly disappointing in June. Reynolds has a .543 OPS for the month with one home run and a 28.1% strikeout rate across 57 plate appearances.
The poor season is surprising, as Reynolds has been one of the more consistent players over the past few seasons. However, fantasy managers shouldn’t be too panicked. Reynolds is performing better than his surface stats indicate. Not only has Reynolds been unlucky in the barrel department (8 home runs on 22 barrels), but his 11.2% barrel rate is also a career-high mark. And despite a higher strikeout rate than usual this season (26.1%), Reynolds’ 11.2% swinging-strike rate is his best mark since 2021. Continue to hang tight with Reynolds in all league sizes, as better results should start to surface.
Ozzie Albies (2B — ATL)
Ozzie Albies continues to scuffle at the plate, going 3-for-24 last week with a 40% strikeout rate. Elevated Ks have been an issue for Albies in June. He has a 25.9% strikeout rate for the month with a low .447 OPS and 31 wRC+ across 54 plate appearances.
Albies hasn’t looked good all season. He’s hitting .222/.297/.322 with six home runs and six steals across 300 plate appearances and a 75 wRC+. Albies still sports strong plate skills, but his quality of contact metrics are down across the board. He’s never had a lot of oomph in his bat, but a career-low 3.2% barrel rate and 27.3% hard-hit rate aren’t doing Albies any favors. Additionally, his 86.5 mph average exit velocity is a career-worst mark that ranks in the bottom 8% of the league. Unfortunately, Albie’s expected stats support his poor performance his season, and a .290 xwOBA is discouraging. Albies’ production has tailed off with each passing month, and it may be time to cut bait in shallow leagues — especially if that trend continues.
Keibert Ruiz (C — WAS)
Keibert Ruiz totaled four hits across 18 at-bats with one RBI for the week. In addition to the lack of production, Ruiz dropped from the middle of the order down to the eight hole. He’s also started losing playing time against lefties recently, sitting in six of the team’s last seven games against southpaws.
Overall, Ruiz has brought very little to fantasy rosters this season. His .252/.287/.323 slash line on the year isn’t terrible for the position, but two home runs, 18 runs scored, 23 RBI, and zero steals across 237 plate appearances leave a lot to be desired. Ruiz hit both of his long balls in the first two games of the season, so his home run drought surprisingly dates back to March 30. And Given Ruiz’s 2.5% barrel rate and 47.3% ground ball rate, it’s likely that drought will continue. Ruiz remains an asset in batting average, but the lack of power (.071 ISO) and loss of playing time make Ruiz a fringey backstop in two-catcher leagues. It’s worth checking to see if better options are available.
